Spare Ribs for tomorrow!

[kelvinator]

Alright so this will be my second time doing ribs. The first time I did baby backs. I went to Cash & Carry and they were out of ribs. I was planning on getting SLC ribs but obviously that wasn't happening. Well on my way out of the huge walk in fridge I was looking through other boxes and boom there was a pack of IBP lite pork spare ribs. I am not sure what the "lite" means. Maybe smaller size? There are 3 racks totalling 13.18lbs. I really wanted SLC ribs but obviously I didn't have a choice.

Should I try and cut the tips off or just cook em as is? Gonna put Dave's rib rub on tonight and let em sit over night to dry brine. I will probably put them in around 8 tomorrow morning so they will be ready in time for the game. Maybe I will do 9 so they aren't done early haha. How long do Spare's normally take for everyone else? 6-7 hours?

 

[jcboxlot]

I leave the tips on, pull the membrane, 6 hours is a good guess.

Kick the apple juice water pan on / next to the wood box.

230 degrees

Let 'er rip.

 

[kelvinator]

Okay sounds good.

Yeah this time I might need to change the apple juice pan out and refill it after I do my first check. Last time I did it by the end there was quarter to half inch of fat sitting on the top of the remainder of the juice. Looked like about 3/4ths of the juice had evaporated.

 

[DivotMaker]

Okay sounds good.

Yeah this time I might need to change the apple juice pan out and refill it after I do my first check. Last time I did it by the end there was quarter to half inch of fat sitting on the top of the remainder of the juice. Looked like about 3/4ths of the juice had evaporated.

No need to mess with the juice pan, Kelvin.  If you use a mini-loaf pan, about 3/4 full, it shouldn't run out.  It will still give off moisture, and as long as it's not empty, it'll be fine for 5.5-6 hours. 

I agree about keeping the tips on - best part of spares!  I'd start checking at 5 hours, and go from there.

 

[kelvinator]

Thanks! I will keep ya'll updated! It was a bit difficult fitting them on the racks. I cut each rack in half but had to overlap em just a tad to fit but I am sure they will shrink up a bit and it will be fine.

Go Hawks!

 

[kelvinator]

They've been in for 7 hours now still haven't passed the bend test I really don't understand the bend test never seems to work for me
I'm honestly starting to get annoyed either they are just taking way to long or are getting overcooked but I don't think so

 

[Barrel99]

I would check the temp. It might not be calibrated properly.

 

[kelvinator]

I said screw it and pulled em during the last quarter of the game. They actually turned out good. A couple of the half racks were cooked well and the other half still a bit undercooked. For the last 45 minutes I just turned the smoker up to 250.

I don't think it's calibrated incorrectly though. I usually put my thermometer in there and it always seems fine. The only weird thing to me is how extreme the temp swings are. 50 degrees north of the temp I set it at seems to happen every smoke.

Good food, good people, sad ending to the game :/

 

[SuperDave]

Kelvin, try something less subjective than the bend test like using a toothpick between the bones.  It will either feel like a tug to get the toothpick out and like you just pulled it out of a cube of warm butter.  When you hit the butter stage you're golden.  No guessing. 

 

[DivotMaker]

Kelvin, try something less subjective than the bend test like using a toothpick between the bones.  It will either feel like a tug to get the toothpick out and like you just pulled it out of a cube of warm butter.  When you hit the butter stage you're golden.  No guessing.

+1!  Plus, when you give it a little tug sideways, away from the bone, you should be able to move the meat without the toothpick breaking.

 

[kelvinator]

Okay thank you! I will definitely try that next time since the bend test has not worked for me yet.

 

[Barrel99]

My ribs never passed the bend test either until I figured out they were not cooked yet. The first time they bent the right way they almost split in two. Never had a problem again since I re-figured my cook times.

 

[kelvinator]

My ribs never passed the bend test either until I figured out they were not cooked yet. The first time they bent the right way they almost split in two. Never had a problem again since I re-figured my cook times.

What are your cook times now? Going to do a batch of spare ribs tomorrow. First time since the last batch so hopefully I will get a better result this time. Going to leave them in for 5 hours before even checking. But since the three times I have smoked ribs before I never had the bend test work I am hoping I will finally be able to get it down.

 

[SuperDave]

Unless your patience has grown, don't be afraid to go 235 - 240 in the smoker. 

 

[Barrel99]

Hey Kelvin. I have noticed from other people's experiences with the #2, that it seems to cook a bit faster than the #3. I know in my #3 that anything less than 5 hours for St. Louis will not be done. However for baby backs, 4-1/2 hours or even a little less is possible. I would cook at 235 and start checking at 4-1/2 hours. If the bend test doesn't work, try the tooth pick method. Also  if the meat has receded from the bone tips about 1/4 inch, that's also a good sign they are done.